Parent power wins in school places fight

Thousands of parents faced with the news this week that their child has been rejected by their secondary school of choice are set to turn to an online phenomenon aimed at helping them fight the decision.

In the latest manifestation of consumer power, a plethora of websites now promise families they can take on their local authority and win. They will receive a record number of hits this week. Experts in the field of appealing against rejections say parents are increasingly learning to beat the system.

Last week it was revealed that thousands of banking customers are using online forums to appeal against charges on their account. An online e-petition against road pricing received more than 1.7 million signatures.

This Thursday is 'national offer day' as every local authority in England sends out letters and emails informing parents of their child's school placing, while Welsh authorities will do the same over the next few weeks. Tens of thousands will desperately search the net for help when they are offered schools with a poor academic or behaviour record and which was not their first choice.

Websites offer services that cost anything from £1 to £2,000 and include tips on how to appeal, access to chatrooms and email advice, and access to a personal consultant who will research the case, write an appeal statement and even accompany parents to hearing.

Penny Bysshe, who used to sit on an appeal panel and is director of a company called School Guidance, said the number of parents seeking help was increasing rapidly. 'It is their child's future and this is their one chance,' she said.

Each year more than 80,000 appeals are lodged, but only a third are successful. The websites promise to reverse the odds. One tells parents: 'The successful appeals are not always the strongest cases, but are often the best presented ones.'

One website, www.schoolappeals.org.uk, received 35,000 hits in two weeks last year, up from 20,000 the year before, and is expecting more again this week. 'Parents always believe they have a choice,' said John Chard, who gives out guidance for £5 or personalised help for up to £150 through the website. 'That is a myth. They have not got a choice, simply a right to express their preference.' Chard used to work on appeals but others who have set up websites are parents who were themselves successful. Ingrid Sutherland, a solicitor at the Advisory Centre for Education, which gives advice over the phone for free, said: 'The net is a wonderful thing but we do find that a lot of parents give advice when they do not know the law well enough.'

A group of head teachers runs a company, School Select, which charges £800 to write an appeal statement or more than £2,000 to accompany parents to a hearing. Graham Jones, who set up the company, said that it was successful in nine out of 10 cases.

Last year he worked for Mark Hampson, a nurse who was disappointed about the school offered to his daughter Stephanie when they moved to Elton, near Chester. Instead of the local school two miles away, Stephanie was given a place in a poor performing school five miles from their home.

'The local authority sent us their case and we believed them,' said Hampson, 37. 'Later we realised they had used figures that were different to those from the Department for Education and Skills.' On his own, Hampson said he would 'not have had a clue' what to do.

Jones submitted a long list of questions to the council, including complicated requests for the school's workspace area and net capacity, before writing the case for Hampson and winning the appeal. 'It is a horrendous and stressful experience,' said Hampson, who was supported by his wife Catherine, Stephanie's step-mother. 'What about people who cannot afford help?'

According to Ben Rooney, whose book, How to Win Your School Appeal, will be republished this week, the biggest mistake at a hearing is not challenging the authority's case: 'If they say the school is full you do not have to accept that.'

But to fight can be harrowing. Jennie Jones, from Harrogate, said that she was on anti-depressants before finally succeeding in her appeal for her daughter Becci who had been badly bullied at primary school.

One website run by parents in London who went through an appeal themselves warns: 'Important - if you are not willing to give up a substantial amount of your time do not even consider proceeding with a school admission appeal.'

Log on and get help

Parents can spend nothing or more than £2,000 getting help with appeals. At www.ace-ed.org.uk they can download guidance for £1, or get it free by phone on 0808 800 5793. At www.schoolappeals.org.uk they can access help including tips for £5; a review of an appeal for £100; and counselling for £150, or £200 for two appeals. At www.school-guidance.co.uk parents get access to Penny Bysshe, who sat on an appeal panel for two years. An hour-long email or phone consultation is £70, or £85 face to face. Bysshe will attend a hearing at £250 for half a day. Former head teachers at www.schoolselect.co.uk will research and write an appeal for around £800. A full package with representation at a hearing tops £2,000.

About this article

Parent power wins in school places fight

This article appeared on p11 of the News section of the Observer
on Saturday 24 February 2007.
It was published on
the Guardian website
at 04.47 EST on Sunday 25 February 2007.
It was last modified at 04.47 EST on Wednesday 28 February 2007.
It was first published at 04.47 EST on Wednesday 28 February 2007.

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